Even with the onslaught of terrible daily news reports – from mass killings to natural disasters, to government shutdowns -- there are some who deny that the world is becoming increasingly chaotic, says Zane Lawhorn.

“You’ll hear people rationalizing what’s going on in the world as ‘not all that different’ from earlier times. The claim is that 24-hour global news programs magnify bad news in a way that’s unprecedented. But I tend to view the bad news as just that – bad news,” says Lawhorn, a doctor of optometry, former U.S. Senate candidate, a presidential elector for West Virginia in the 2008 presidential election and biblical scholar who has published multiple titles, including “The Messiah Is Here!” (www.zanelawhorn.com).

“Our leaders can’t work together; the government seems always on the verge of shut down – or is shut down; spending is out of control; socialist tariffs dictate what’s to be our health-care system; maniacs with deadly weapons target public places on what seems to be a regular basis – and that’s just what’s going on within our borders ... we're seeping into an era of chaos, just as foretold in the Bible.”

Now is the time for individuals and families to prepare for deepening chaos, he says.

• Make a checklist for essential goods. Our three essentials will not change in an increasingly chaotic world, and that is the fact that we all need food, water and shelter. Grocery stores have stocks that will last no longer than a week in the event of a complete shutdown of commerce. Resources will be plundered as soon as the population realizes that society’s mechanisms have failed. Now is the time to stock up on canned goods, sufficient water, and shelter that can withstand the worst of times.

• Have a plan to convert your money into usable goods or currency. When financial institutions devolve into utter chaos, your money will be worthless. It makes no sense to hold onto it, but you may not be ready to convert your bank account into a pile of gold or useable goods. If that’s the case, you should, at the very least, have a plan to efficiently turn money into something useable. Be very vigilant, however, because the window of opportunity will quickly close once everyone realizes anarchy has overtaken civil society.

• Be spiritually solvent. Lawhorn believes these ripples of chaos we are already experiencing are no mere coincidences – they are prophetic signs of change, or End Times. “Common-sense preparation will improve your odds of survival exponentially for whatever comes your way,” he says. “Only God knows his will, but we are told in the Bible to prepare for what is already happening, and nothing will be more important during the tough days ahead than the hope available from a righteous relationship with God.”

About Zane Lawhorn, OD

Zane Lawhorn has been a doctor of optometry for nearly 30 years. He was raised in a humble household deep in the heart of southern West Virginia and was repeatedly told he wouldn’t realize his dreams. Today, he is happily married to his wife for almost 25 years, Donna, and has raised two children, Mitchell and Megan. Lawhorn is a church elder, Sunday school teacher, committee chairman and a real-estate entrepreneur. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from West Virginia University. He was a presidential elector for West Virginia during the 2008 presidential election; Lawhorn’s duty was to vote for his state in the election for Republican candidate John McCain and his running mate Sarah Palin, who carried the state. In 2006, he ran in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate in West Virginia, and he plans to run again.